milamoon's review against another edition
2.0
Che dire? Ho deciso di leggere questo libro perché super consigliato da Chad Harbach, il cui "L'arte di vivere in difesa" è stato per me uno dei libri migliori degli ultimi due (forse 5 anni).
Però, l'ho trovato sostanzialmente anaffettivo: non mi ha convinta.
Non è scritto male, tutt'altro. Però, cavoli, un minimo di empatia con il lettore, se sai fare il tuo mestiere, dovrai pure riuscire ad instaurarla...
Però, l'ho trovato sostanzialmente anaffettivo: non mi ha convinta.
Non è scritto male, tutt'altro. Però, cavoli, un minimo di empatia con il lettore, se sai fare il tuo mestiere, dovrai pure riuscire ad instaurarla...
kwbat12's review against another edition
4.0
Fantastic. I loved it, though likely because I live here in Russia.
laurenkortbein's review against another edition
3.0
The Russian references made it confusing and difficult to follow. Definitely no happy ending here!!
avalydia's review against another edition
3.0
This was very good, but became a little less so once the main character got involved in a political group and the focus shifted away from his relationship with his grandmother. The ending was also a bit... depressing, even if it was realistic.
sarahebenezer's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
beatrice_k's review against another edition
5.0
This book is good because it, er, the author, knows that to be alive and thinking and thoughtful is to live in the midst of contradictions. It knows that you can only decide and keep deciding. It doesn't excuse your failures, your liberalism, socialism, your fealty to the cause. The thoughtful, thorough way in which it's written lends itself to the gravitas of the subject, which is the subject of family, community, city, nation, a kind of kingdom, phylum, class, order... It's the same, isn't it? The way we address nature is the way we address all of ourselves. This is such a giant (but only 300 pages or so!) complicated novel about a specific terrible country but all of our terrible countries, kingdoms, phyla, classes, etc.
To quote Nell Zink: “The only up-to-the-minute, topical, relevant, necessary novel of 2018 that never has to mention Trump.”
I'm rambling, but A Terrible Country is so well written and capital-H Honest about what it means to be morally and physically and emotionally good and the impossible *impossible* balance and case for each bit of goodness. Shit is terrible, but shit, man, this book is good. You've got to read it.
To quote Nell Zink: “The only up-to-the-minute, topical, relevant, necessary novel of 2018 that never has to mention Trump.”
I'm rambling, but A Terrible Country is so well written and capital-H Honest about what it means to be morally and physically and emotionally good and the impossible *impossible* balance and case for each bit of goodness. Shit is terrible, but shit, man, this book is good. You've got to read it.
brittaini's review against another edition
2.0
This novel felt superficial, mediocre, and was a chore to read.
eric_roling's review against another edition
3.0
This was a nice read about a young overeducated man who goes to Moscow to live with his ailing grandmother. Her dementia and the craziness of Moscow create quite a fish-out-of-water tale. He eventually makes a number of friends there and finds a group to be a part of. His naivety creates a lot of the plot issues, and you can see things coming a mile a way. This was a very tender story at its heart, but I enjoyed it much more than I expected.